EMR & EHR Blog for Physicians

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If you carefully read various EMR articles on the internet, you will find them using EMR System and EMR Software interchangeably leading the readers to believe that they mean one and the same thing. In fact, as we explain below, they are distinctly different and in fact one is a subset of other.

The term "system" originates from the Greek term syst¯ema, which means to "place together" and defines a system as an integrated set of interoperable elements, each with explicitly specified and pre-defined capabilities, working seamlessly to perform value-added processing to enable a user to achieve set objectives.

 

An EMR System includes these basic components:

1. Infrastructure- Physical and hardware system components, for example, Workstations and Servers, Tablet PC, Laptops, Monitors, Scanners, Routers and Bridges, etc.
2. Software- Application software (EMR Software or EHR Software), Operating System software, utilities, and other applications like Instant Messaging, Fax Servers, Networking Software, Lab interfaces, ePrescription, etc..
3. People-Personnel involved in using, maintaining or managing the EMR - this includes the clinical and administrative staff, Physicians, etc . These personnel need to receive appropriate level of training.
4. Business Processes-Guidelines, instructions, and steps involved in keeping the EMR System running smoothly. This includes patient appointment scheduling, reminders, billing, etc.
5. Data-Information captured, used, and supported by a system, including documents, images and databases.

It is clearly evident that EMR software is just one component of an EMR System and is therefore a subset of EMR System. It is not good enough to assemble motley of ill-fitting components to create an EMR System since they may not work seamlessly and will certainly not perform value added processing.

So what are the implications from a Physician's perspective?

When Physicians buy EMR Software from EMR Vendors, they typically get the following:

1. EMR Software (application software)
2. Application Database
3. Configurable Lab and Pharmacy interfaces
4. Specifications of recommended commonly required and used hardware

To take the above and convert this to a fully functioning EMR System takes skills of different kinds - technical and functional. Also as you can see, unless you take the required steps to create an optimized System that performs value added processing, you shall not get the required Return on Investment (ROI).

Physicians are expert at providing quality healthcare to their patients but do not have the necessary expertise to assemble all the components to build and implement the EMR System. By working with an expert EMR Consulting company or an EMR Systems Integrator to build and integrate all required components of a customized EMR System, you can ensure successful implementation and reap maximum benefits from EMR Software deployment.

(Research Support provided by: Om)

 

 

 

RevenueXL can assist you in deriving maximum ROI from your investment in EMR technology by converting your EMR Software into a fully functioning EMR System. Contact us right away for a Free Consulting Session.

 

 

 

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RevenueXL Inc. assists medical practices in the assessment, selection and implementation of Medical Software including EMR Software (also called EHR Software), Patient Portal, and Practice Management or Medical Billing software. RevenueXL offers a free consultation session to review your current challenges and answer open questions revolving around EMR and revenue cycle.

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Stories abound about botched EHR System implementations and providers uninstalling EHR Systems in Arizona. But at the same time, there are many case studies which prove that achieving ROI with EMR or EHR is very much possible, provided there is right focus on training, transition and implementation.

Computation of ROI with EMR Software is a complicated business, based on many assumptions and unquantifiable and intangible benefits. I personally like the definition: ROI = Increase in Revenues - Decrease in costs. I recently come across another definition: ROI = EMR - FTE based on the consensus that automated systems alleviate support staff needs. You can choose whatever definition appeals to you most.

According to "The formula for EMR: ROI=TCO?", if the average physician needs 4 assistants, implementation of an EMR can reduced that number by one or more. In a fast growing practice in New York State, which implemented an EMR, it was able to grow from 20 to 120 doctors in just two years because they only had to hire two or three FTEs per doctor instead of four or five.

In a recent case study published by HIMSS, Glynn Medical Associates, comprising of four internists, two rheumatologists and a physician's assistant, which implemented an integrated EMR/PM system with every provider using the system as of the first day, experienced savings conservatively estimated at $200,000 per year. But the ROI did not come easy. The first three months of going paperless were stressful. Also, one physician in the practice was seeing 33 percent more patients daily with use of the EMR system helping to increase patient satisfaction.

Some of the quantitative benefits included:

• Reduction in transcription costs.
• Reduction in medical records personnel
• Reduction in billing department personnel
• Possible downsizing of facility

In another case study, according to Wellesley, Mass.-based Nuclear Research, a 76-bed hospital in Bolivar, Mo achieved a 1,321 percent ROI in its first year after implementing an EHR Software solution, besides reaping other intangible benefits. Over three years, the hospital's ROI came in at 2,912 percent.

Here are two EMR Calculators that you can use:

1. Physicians Practice EMR ROI Calculator
2. HIMSS EMR ROI Calculator 

Experts say that an EHR implementation project is not a sprint but a marathon. Moreover, the race does not finish on the go-live date. You will see reduced productivity during period immedialtely followng post-activation followed by "stabilization" and then "optimization".  If everything goes right, you can achieve stabilization within 90 days. After that, the financial benefits will materialize gradually as staff increasingly utilizes the EHR Software and associated workflows. 

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There are many opportunities for revenue enhancement as well as cost reduction which will yield Return on Investment. Download our free article on 'Does EMR increase Revenues?'.

 

________________________________________________

RevenueXL Inc. assists medical practices in the assessment, selection and implementation of Medical Software including EMR Software (also called EHR Software), Patient Portal, and Practice Management or Medical Billing software. RevenueXL offers a free consultation session to review your current challenges and answer open questions revolving around EMR and revenue cycle.